There is always a new dimension to be explored in the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi rivalry. The two, however, have officially called off their rivalry on air, but the fraternity cannot stop looking at it through different lenses. Former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand has given an emotional angle to this by calling Ronaldo more expressive than arch-rival Messi. While doing so, he drew similarities to tennis legends, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Nadal and Federer is one the most iconic rivalries in the sport of tennis. Sharing a massive 42 Grand Slams cumulatively, one is known as the King of Clay and other is reputed for conquering the grass. But what makes them similar to these soccer rivals?

Rio Ferdinand explains Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi rivalry using tennis analogy

Even though numbers and awards are usually taken into consideration, Ferdinand draws parallels by taking into account Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi’s demeanor. Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, the former Manchester United man stated, “I think we had it in tennis with Federer and Nadal. One shows their emotion the other doesn’t. I think Cristiano is an emotional guy and you always goanna know how he feels,” revealing the expressive side of the Portuguese.

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Meanwhile, the tennis legends also show similar behavior. Nadal is the one who is known for being more expressive, whereas Federer is usually a man of fewer words. Nevertheless, both of them have kept the challenge very professional and are rarely involved in off-court disagreements. Contrarily, the players expressed regard for each other during Federer’s retirement, which drew tears from both stars.

On the other hand, Lionel Messi was assumed to be more stoic by Ferdinand. However, the star was seen getting emotional on the pitch recently, with the Argentine national team challenging a few players. Meanwhile, Ronaldo usually doesn’t hold back on his opinions.

The star recently made a few statements, saying that awards such as the Ballon d’Or were losing credibility. The Al Nassr captain also went on to say that the Saudi Pro League was better than the MLS and, more recently, the French League. The Inter Maimi captain, on the other hand, usually chooses to turn a blind eye to any such verbal challenges.

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But Ferdinand feels that Messi does think about Cristiano Ronaldo to some extent. Revealing more, Ferdinand said, “I don’t believe that one doesn’t think about the other. I think that may be one thinks about a little bit more. Maybe Cristiano might think a bit more, but I do believe that both have used each other to keep growing and building into achieve what they’ve done.” The archrivals could potentially have a final battle on the pitch in the Riyadh Season Cup scheduled for February 1st.

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